Ever wondered about the quiet history hidden behind this unassuming office building? This is the Wo Hop Shek Cemetery Office. It’s more than just an administrative building. It’s the heart of a fascinating story involving a railway line built for the dead.
Wo Hop Shek Cemetery itself is the largest public cemetery in Hong Kong. Opened in 1950 it was crucial because cemeteries on Hong Kong Island were overflowing. This hillside cemetery stretches across 222.4 hectares. It provides space for both full and cremated remains. The cemetery sits on hilly terrain. Its elevation varies from 100 to over 300 meters.
But the real intrigue lies in the railway. In the 1950s and 1960s. A special branch of the Kowloon-Canton Railway was built to serve this very cemetery. The Wo Hop Shek Branch Line a 950-meter long single track was a unique solution. It solved the problem of transporting the deceased from the city to the far-off cemetery. Special train cars were even built to accommodate the coffins. They were stacked two high with a pulley system for easy loading.
The station at Wo Hop Shek was considered incredibly modern for its time. Unlike other stations made of brick it was built using cement and steel. This speaks volumes about how important this service was considered. The line was even used during the Ching Ming and Chung Yeung festivals. These are important times for family visits to ancestral graves.
Sadly the line was abandoned after the railway’s electrification in 1983. The tracks were gone. The station is now just a roundabout. There are still visible remains such as a red gate on the Fanling side of the Jockey Club Road bridge. It served as a level crossing for the railway back in its time. A level crossing is a point where a road crosses a railway track.
Today the area around the abandoned railway is populated with housing estates. Places like Wah Sum Estate and Wah Ming Estate now stand on what was once a railway line. It is a testament to the changes in Hong Kong. These housing estates developed after 1983. This is exactly the time that the railway line was closed down.
So next time you pass the Wo Hop Shek Cemetery Office remember its story. It’s more than just an administrative building. It’s the silent guardian of a forgotten railway that once carried Hong Kong’s deceased to their final resting place. It stands as a poignant reminder of how much things change in the bustling life of a city.